Panahou standout Jeremy Ioane was impressed by everything he saw on his visit to Seattle and was tempted to pull the trigger before ultimately deciding to wait until he got home to speak with his family about the important decision.

"The visit was a lot of fun," explained Ioane. "I got to talk with all of the coaches and get to know their program was all about. Then sitting in on the position meetings was cool and getting to talk even more with the coaches and players. Watching the basketball game was also cool and something new for me. I have never been to a college basketball game and watching them beat Cal was exciting.

I was really close to committing but I wanted to come back home and talk to my parents about it," he continued. "I still have two trips planned to Arkansas next weekend and Notre Dame the week after that, but there is a possibility I make up my mind before that."

So what made his almost become a Husky?

"Something great is happening at Washington and their coaching staff is the reason why," he said. "They are doing an amazing job of rebuilding the program and it all starts with recruiting. They are bringing in some great athletes and guys who will contribute to the future of the program and their success. They are the underdogs who are going to be on top soon and playing for a Rose Bowl.

I thought the coaches really know what they are doing and what they want to accomplish. They also know what needs to get done to accomplish their goals and they are making it happen. They are all on the same page and doing a great job of getting the players on board with them."

But it wasn't just the coaches who caught his eye. Ioane took notice of a major Polynesian influence on the Huskies and couldn't help but be impressed.

"Getting to see how many Polynesian players are at UW and spending time with them was cool. I was really surprised at how many Polynesian players there were, it was a lot more than I thought.

Having players from Hawaii who have committed and who are already on the team would make me feel more at home. Just having them to interact with would make things more comfortable. There really is a strong bond between Polynesians and that stood out at UW."